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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

you should just install the autofs package "sudo apt-get install autofs" that will make all the /etc/auto.* and init scripts. You have to install the package for it to work
Like installing iptables, the kernel has support for it (module) but you still need the package to implement it.

Like I said, I don't want to take the risk of breaking my system, (even if I do have a back up),i.e. is the repository autofs package up to the latest kernel? If I do as you suggest and it does break, what next?

The package contains the binary needed to use autofs you wont be able to use it without that, no matter what config files and links you have. The package in the repository will be fine on with your kernel. The only thing in the kernel for autofs is support for it, it's not implemented unless you get the package. The only way it would have a (slim) possibility that it wouldn't work is if you make a custom kernel, and even then it wouldn't break your system if it wasn't the right version, automount just wouldn't work (well). The package doesn't install any kernel modules just uses the autofs4 one.

igorth : won't work because a floppy drive doesn't have any method of signalling that a disk has been inserted whereas most cdrom drives do.
Am still working on autofs though I cannot see yet how that will see a disk being inserted.

1) you try to access /mnt/floppy
2) autofs makes the directory
3) autofs mounts the floppy
4) when you've not accessed the device for longer than the timeout, autofs umounts the device
5) the directory dissappears

You will not find the floppy unless you navigate to where it should appear

With autofs you do not create the directory a device mounts into. You will only see the directories a device mounts to when you have already navigated there

You may need to remove the device from your fstab to avoid confusion.

Well it doesn't on my system! I removed the /dev/fd0 line from fstab and set up:

created a directory /misc with 755 permission.
Insert a floppy (with FAT files) and try to ls /misc/floppy. Nada.
So I go to Places->Computer->Floppy and click..whirr..whirr..eventually the files show up. Where are the files? Not in /misc/floppy but in /media/floppy!!
So

How does the system know to mount into /media/ ?? I removed the mount point from fstab!!
Not only that why isn't autofs taking over and creating /misc/floppy?
I tried deleting directory /media/floppy then accessing the floppy from Places->Computer but the directory is re-created and it does not disappear when I remove the floppy.
Also I note that

> /mnt/foo if accessed. However with FC3 this simply does not work. I get:
>
> May 14 20:44:00 quark automount[9844]: lookup(program): lookup for foo failed

I made an error. I accedentally created the auto.foo map file with
executable permissions. If you do this the autofs init script will
interpret it as a "program" and attempt to execute it rather then parse
it as a regular map file. Simply doing chmod -x on it and restarting
autofs fixes the problem.

Needless to say the autofs documentation is in need of some work.

Mike

Now floppy and cd get mounted and unmounted!
Great! Thanks for you kind help. Now all I need to do is to sort recognition of USB Stick and USB floppy.